Identifying missing persons using NamUs
website: identifyus.org to Compare with DoeNetwork.org
·
Step 1: Look for unidentified person found on
Doe Network by (http://www.doenetwork.org/)
clicking on “Case Files” and “Unidentified either “Geographical” or “Chronological”.
I usually pick Geographical. Click on “US”, and enter a state in the box under
the sentence “United States Unidentified Males Geographical Index”. It defaults
to Males, click on “view Females” if you want to search females.
1.
Step 2: Identify someone you want to begin
researching by clicking on them. Read
their profile completely. Some of the profiles have the NamUs Case Number
listed at the bottom. You can use this
to search NamUs (https://identifyus.org/en)
for “rule outs”. To do this, either click on the case number or copy and paste
into NamUs Unidentified Persons Database “search” under “NamUs UP Number” under
“Case Information”. The profile will appear and you’ll notice a table labled
“Exclusions”. These are folks that have been ruled out as being a match for
this Doe Network individual. More on
this in a minute!
·
Step 3: Search on NamUs site for anyone matching
Doe Network by going to identifyus.org and clicking on “Missing Persons
Database” on the left.
·
Step 3: Search on “sex” and “state”, for example
if the person on Doe Network is a male whose body was found in Virginia, you
would search for male under “sex” and Virginia under “state”. Once you’ve ruled
out a state, move on to surrounding states and so forth. Many killers do not dispose of bodies close
to home. Not only that, localities often
do not share databases. So if someone went missing in NY, NY may not have a
connection to VA.
·
Step 4: look at the “Estimated Date of Death” on
Doe Network, this will give you an idea of where to begin on your search
results from NamUs. For example, if
someone’s date of death was December 1993, you would start searching around
that time on NamUs. Also, look at estimated age and height and weight and “identifiers”. IMPORTANT: If there’s no dental, DNA, or
fingerprints, law enforcement has no way of confirming the match.
·
Step 5: When you find someone on NamUs meeting
those criteria, click on the record and read the entire thing looking for ways
to rule them out. Search for their name
in the list of exclusions under the unidentified profile on NamUs. If they
haven’t been excluded, make some notes as to why you think they might be a
match.
·
Step 6: When you’ve determined you might have a
match because 1) the person hasn’t been excluded from the unidentified record
and 2) the circumstances and demographics match, go to the Doe Network and
click on the tab “Potential Matches” and “Submit a Match”. Fill out the form completely. A committee of volunteers reviews the potential
matches before moving forward with submitting to law enforcement. You will receive an e-mail letting you know
if your match is going to move forward or be rejected.
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